A Human Born Underground
by ShadesOfOrange
Summary: Frisk doesn't know the surface world, they've seen it but they were far too young to remember anything before they fell into the mountain and were adopted by the kindly Toriel. The Ruins are their home and they have no real desire to leave the underground as a result but what they do desire is to explore it and hopefully make a few more friends along the way. (AU)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello to all of you wonderful readers whether you're reading this at chapter one or later on, thanks for beginning this little journey to take place in the Undertale Universe. It is a bit of an Au actually based on a thought me and a few friends had had. What if Frisk had fallen down at a much younger age, how did they survive the fall, what would a human growing up in the underground be like?, and many other questions. This fic is the result of that and will of course contain spoilers for the game, as for which run of the game you'll figure it out I'm sure.**

 **As a last note, it is only this chapter that is going to be written in first person as I felt it fit for the prologue. It is additionally written from Toriel's perspective.**

I could never say for certain what I was doing that day whenever I was to look back to think on it. Perhaps I was testing a new recipe after finding an old cookbook belonging to one of the fallen children that had passed through decades prior. I believe I remembered seeing a recipe asking for some sort of plant I did not currently have so that was always a possibility. I may have just been walking through the ruins as well, visiting with the monsters who inhabited it. I may have even just been searching for fallen humans as I often did.

Regardless, I remember what came afterwards in clear detail. I remember hearing a child crying near the golden flowers so many humans landed upon their fall into the underground. I remember seeing the small human child sitting in the golden flowers that clearly broke what would have been a lethal fall and yet wondering how a human of such a young age could have fallen down without a scratch. They were by far the youngest to have ever fallen and by that I assumed them to be no more that 2 or 3 in human years. It was a miracle that they had survived the fall at all. Actually, looking around I had searched to see if someone had fallen with them, or if perhaps a monster had taken pity and run to their aid once they realized someone had fallen down.

There was of course, no one, and I had quickly turned my attention back to the small child.

They had brown hair and wore a striped sweater far too large for their small body as it looked similar to a blanket on them that just happened to have sleeves. "There there little one." I said, gingerly lifting them up from the flowers. "It's alright, I've got you. What's your name?" They had continued to cry, not answering my question, perhaps they were too young to, I could never have known what age they learnt to talk as all the humans to pass here had been 11 at the youngest. "Well, my name is Toriel and I am the caretaker of the ruins." I told them, they had gradually begun to quiet down as I stood there with them, talking to them about where they were now even if they did not understand. "You fell quite a ways didn't you little one? Were you with your family when you did I wonder?"

It was a sad thought yet, if anyone knew what it was like to lose a child it was me, this human had been far too young to have wandered to the gap in the mountain all alone so I questioned if they walked away, they seemed old enough to at least crawl but not fast enough for their parents to have not noticed. Even then though, human's knew about the legends surrounding the mountain, why would they risk a child's safety like that to go exploring? Another explanation as to how they may have fallen came into my head for a brief moment, a much darker one, and I had to quickly push it away.

However they had fallen down and for whatever reason, they had nowhere else to go and no one else to watch them. Since they were far younger than any other human to come down they of course would be unable to leave the Ruins as well either.

And so, I remember making the decision that I would raise this child myself and care for them as long as they needed me and perhaps a bit longer than that. They had already quieted down by now and had begun to tug on one of my ears, they reminded me of my own child when he was young and I felt a pang of sadness. "Moo moo." they called at me, so they could speak, if only simply, I chuckled slightly.

"No my child I am not a cow, if anything perhaps a goat if that makes sense to you little one." I explained, "But for now you may call me anything you wish, I will take care of you."

And I had, I'd brought them to my home with me where I'd watched them sleep through the night after they'd eaten and I showed them around the Ruins the next morning. They seemed absolutely enthralled in it all and kept up with me admittedly more than I had expected as I was prepared to carry them again if need be.

It wasn't until we reached the Nice Cream Man though did I hear them speak again, "Frisk wants cream." they'd insisted and I could only assume Frisk was their name by that. It was an odd name but I thought it was very nice.

"Alright Frisk." I'd smiled, ignoring the Nice Cream Man's bewilderment at the human standing with me. He quickly cheered up when I'd bought the Nice Cream for me and Frisk though.

Frisk was kind even for being so young, though they were admittedly slightly too curious for their own good, looking into every crack and crevice they could reach. I would of course draw them away from this and use that curiosity into learning, I'd always wanted to be a teacher after all.

The years passed by a bit faster now that I didn't spend most of my life alone and that I of course now had Frisk to chase around and take care of. Frisk grew older as well and grew to love the Ruins as much as I did. The monsters living in the Ruins began to feel comfortable around them as well and I'd go as far as to say that Frisk made friends with many of them when they weren't in our little home school where I taught them all I knew. About monsters and what I remembered of the humans as well. It helped that I'd learned bits and pieces more about the outside from different humans that had passed through, how it had changed and the like, and so I had that to teach as well.

Frisk was eager to learn as much as they could and quick to do so as well, by the time they were what I assumed to be 6 based on how old they were when they'd arrived they were already reading very well and had a good hold on mathematics for their age. Their spelling had used a little work but that too passed eventually.

It was around that time that I heard them call me something other than 'Moo Moo' or even Toriel. Frisk had called me mom and I had almost cried out from the shock and even the joy from it. It was a blessing for me to hear after so many years and I hugged them tight, to them it must've been slightly confusing as to why it made me so happy but that didn't matter. I had been given another chance to be a mother.

The years continued to fly by and Frisk grew accustomed to the Ruins and insisted that they knew them like the back of their hand. I'd still been hesitant to let them out of the house alone but in the end I'd given them a phone and my number and sent them off. I worried the whole day, wondering and worrying about the worst, but also hoping for the best. Of course, I couldn't have been happier when they'd returned with two friends they'd met during the day and with Frisk's return with them, they'd Insisted that their new friends should stay for dinner. I was quick to agree much to their delight and after that, dinner with the local monsters became a regular occurrence for our little family.

It was nice, I couldn't deny, and I was the happiest I'd been in who knows how many years, but with every year and every day that passed, I'd always wondered and very much dreaded if a day would come when Frisk chose to leave me for some reason or another.

With every human to pass through it would happen, yes, some would stay longer than others, years even which was long enough for me to hope they'd stay forever. At some point though, they'd all choose to leave to try and find their way back to the surface and whatever families they had up there, and in the process, they'd all die...

I hoped that maybe, maybe that they were growing up here in the ruins and because they had little to no memory of the surface, they would remain here with me and never question what was past the doors that lead to the rest of the underground. It was perhaps a far too hopeful idea but one that I still hoped would somehow come true. That Frisk would stay with me here in the Ruins for many, many years.

Perhaps….perhaps maybe my thoughts then were selfish. Yes I did not want them to venture out and be killed by King Asgore but...at the same time I didn't want to be left alone again. I'd lost too many children, my own and the humans that i'd grown to call mine during their time here, I was not prepared to lose another to him.

Or maybe. Maybe I was just destined to lose those I cared about. It sure seemed that way, because eventually, the day I had dreaded so did come, and Frisk left me, like all the others, I could only hope that their fate would not be the same as the others too.

 **I-**

 **And there's the Prologue, I thought that showing it from Toriel's perspective would be an interesting way to start the story. As for how this will differ from the game itself there will be some very large changes and I hope you'll like it. Anyways, thanks so**

 **much for reading! Until next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**-Wow! Thank you so much everyone for all the faves and follows and for the reviews I really really do appreciate it. Admittedly, I'm actually a bit surprised that people are enjoying it with that first chapter and I hope to do my best to make a great story for you all!**

 **Also! Umm, most updates will NOT take nearly that long, we sorta had bad luck as far as the internet company went and I was out of it most of the month. I write on drive and don't have office so you can probably see why that was as big of a problem as it was.**

* * *

Frisk shot up in bed, cold sweat running down their back and their heart pounding in their ears and chest as if it would attempt to punch through. They'd had a nightmare but could not for the life of them pick out the details of it now that they were awake. They could remember a sense of danger, or, were they the one causing the danger? Either way, the physical reaction and rush of terrified emotions had been enough to stay with them now that they were awake and even now they had to look around the room to convince themself that everything was okay.

Their brownish eyes glanced quickly back and forth to every corner of their dark room, searching and in all honesty, half expecting to see something waiting for them in the shadows.

But nothing had changed, everything was where they'd left it the night before; their worn books still sat on the light brown desk a few feet off, their dirty clothes from the day before were still haphazardly thrown in the hamper, and their only photograph picture -one of Frisk and Toriel on their birthday a few years back- smiled back at them from the nightstand.

Frisk breathed a sigh of relief, of course there was nothing to be afraid of. It had just been a bad dream, nothing weird about that right? Besides, the Ruins were perhaps the safest place in the entire underground even if Frisk themself couldn't speak from experience. They turned on the dim lamp to further ease any fears they had left.

Even still, they remained in their bed a few more moments to allow their breathing and heart beat to slow down as the initial shock and disorientation of the nightmare slowly ebbed away.

When they felt calm enough to continue, they pushed back the reddish sheets they'd partially thrown off in their sleep and swung their feet over the edge of the bed before standing up on the cold floor. They shivered at the chill it sent through their spine but didn't dwell on it long as they quickly hurried to their small wardrobe and pulled open its wooden doors that creaked in protest.

Inside, there were multiples of the same outfit: a blue knit sweater with magenta stripes and a pair of slightly, darker blue pants. The sweaters were similar to the one Toriel had first found them in all those years ago and while it had been enormous on them then, now it had grown quite small, not to mention worn from all the love it had been given. Frisk still held onto it though and even as they pulled out a fresh set of clothes they could spot it, nicely folded in the back of the wardrobe.

Frisk couldn't help but smile as they thought of it and switched out of their pale pink pajamas and into this new set of clothes. As their only possession from their life on the surface, it definitely had sentimental value even though Frisk had no real memory of the surface. Aside from sentimental value, it had clearly affected their fashion choice as throughout all these years the'd grown so fond of the style that they couldn't imagine wearing something different. Toriel had thankfully worked with Frisk on this and the two would work together to knit new ones whenever Frisk got too big for their current closet.

With their clothes changed now, they reached for their box of shoes, something they were never short of even as the years had passed. The only problem they'd ever really dealt with that some sizes that they'd grow into only had one of each pair of shoe so they were often left with wearing mismatched shoes. Frisk didn't mind that any, thinking if anything it brought a bit of variation to their usually similar outfit and it was fun to mix and match for different occasions.

Today was one of those days as a matter of fact and in the aftermath of their nightmare they'd almost forgotten they'd be meeting up with a long time friend again for the whole day. They needed shoes to last and found just the thing in one of their few, actually complete pairs of shoes, a darkish brown in color. They tapped their feet against the floor to adjust them a bit and then headed out towards their door, remembering to turn off the lamp before they did so.

Contrasting of their room's hues of reds and browns, the hallway was an almost obnoxious shade of yellow that over the years Frisk had discovered to be an acquired taste. After their nightmare, a part of them had admittedly feared that it would be in some sort of ruin or disarray after all but just like their room, everything was completely normal and the smell of baking butterscotch pie filled their nose and gave them a warm feeling inside. There was also the rather…..unique smell of snail pie in the air but Frisk decided not to focus on that as they headed towards the living room, running their hand through their short hair to more or less brush it so Toriel wouldn't scold them about it.

On the way there though, they of course passed the locked gate and staircase that lead further underground and to the exit of the Ruins. While Frisk didn't know all that much about what lay beyond that, they trusted the warnings Toriel had told them in the event they ever did try to sneak out, something Frisk had never and would never consider doing.

Passing the staircase, Frisk found Toriel in the living room. Sitting on her plush chair by the fireplace with one of her often re-read books in her hand. A pair of reading glasses sat on her rather large white snout.

"Good morning." Frisk smiled as they walked up over to her to give her a hug.

"Oh good morning my child." she smiled, eager to return the hug, "I was wondering when you would wake up, did you rest well?"

Frisk nodded, "Yes mom, I, I slept great." they said, deciding to leave out their nightmare so as to not worry Toriel.

It seemed to work as Toriel placed a bookmark where she left off and set the book along with her reading glasses to the side, "I expected you would, you spent most of the day playing with the Froggit brothers after all and I know that they can be rather tiring."

"Yeah, they must've tired me a bit more than I had realized." Frisk agreed as they pulled up their much smaller chair next to Toriel.

"So what's the plan for today?" Toriel asked, "We won't be starting our classes again for a bit longer so you still have plenty of time to enjoy your vacation."

"Well," Frisk began, "Me and Napstablook had made plans to hang out today. They've been feeling really down lately so I thought it could be a good way to cheer them up." Frisk said, "At least, try to, not even my usual jokes have been helping too much recently."

"Napstablook's cousin hasn't returned yet?" Toriel asked and Frisk just shook their head.

"No, no he hasn't and Napstablook says it's been well over a week since they last heard from him. He hasn't even stopped by to tell them what's going on."

Toriel nodded in understanding, "I see….but I suppose as awful and as sad as it is this wasn't unlikely to happen. Hasn't Napstablook said that it's common in their family to eventually find a body and go corporal, I think they put it. Their cousin may have very well done just that and is waiting for the right time to tell them."

"That's what I was thinking but it still seems like a kinda cruel thing to do, Napstablook is really sensitive afterall…"

"I agree but there is not much that can be done about it now I'm afraid, all you can do is try and be there to support your friend during this hard patch in their afterlife and you are doing just that." Toriel said.

"You're right mom." Frisk nodded, "For now though, I should get going, I don't want to keep them waiting." they said, spontaneously jumping to their feet and giving Toriel a quick hug.

Toriel returned, "But my child what about your breakfast, I'm making us some pies right now but I can cook you something before you go." she said.

Frisk shook their head, "Don't worry about it, I was going to pick something up from the spider bake sale on the way there."

"Well, alright, please do be careful though." she said.

"Don't worry mom, aren't I always?"

* * *

' _Come eat food, made by spiders, for spiders, of spiders!'_

Frisk had always found the signs for the bake sale to be…a bit odd in all honesty. They changed their slogans yearly but every time it was sure to mention that it was made for spiders, and of spiders which struck Frisk as slightly disturbing, especially since they never quite knew what exactly that meant or if it was literal or now (it probably was). Despite this though, they could never deny that the spider donuts and the spider cider were some of their favorite snacks even if they _were_ made with real spiders. It was always nice to help a good cause too, even if Frisk never knew what that cause was.

Frisk was what the spiders called, a regular customer though they also suspected that they were the only customer. Their money made the spiders happy and the snacks made Frisk happy so there were wins all around and the spider was sure to thank them as they paid and got their treat.

They ate their breakfast as they walked, the cupcake layered in a kind of chocolatey frosting that they licked off the top and the actual cake a similar kind of chocolate that crunched from time to time as they ate it. Frisk tried not to imagine the actual spiders they could be eating but hey, at least they'd gone out tasty.

As they walked to where they'd be meeting Napstablook, they made sure to wave to the monsters they passed by. All of which had long grown used to having a human in their little corner of the underground and many of which having grown comfortable to call Frisk a friend.

And Frisk of course considered them some of their best friends as well, each monster was so unique even if they were the same species, really, it was utterly incredible and beautiful and Frisk loved every minute they spent in the underground.

They finished their snack and drink soon enough, they'd have to after all given what the puzzle ahead of them consisted of. It was a maze of sorts, with a sign warning not to step on the leaves hung on the wall near it. There were no leaves to be immediately seen though and Frisk was well aware that the sign was referring to the leaves on the level below it. They'd traveled this maze enough times to know that and to know how to carefully step around the gaps the floor hidden to those who didn't know it quite as well.

Frisk passed it quickly enough, reaching the other side and a similar sign before moving on through the violet colored ruins. The coloring had always been a bit odd to them, there was really no logical reason for them, being ruins, to have maintained the color as it had but if anything it added charm and maybe even an air of mystery to the place.

Eventually as they tracked through, they reached a room largely covered in multicolored fall leaves, though, how they got here when the only tree capable of producing them was back at their house, they did not know. What they did know, was that Napstablook was laying down in the pile, crying as they often did. "Oh….hello Frisk…" they said through their sniffles, a feat in and of itself as they did not have a nose.

"Hello Napstablook." Frisk smiled as they walked over to sit by their friend. The leaves crunching beneath them, "How are you feeling?"

"A bit…" they sniffled, "Sad still I suppose...but don't worry about it…"

"Of course I worry about it." Frisk said, looking at them with a patient smile, "You're my friend, I'll always be worried about you."

They still didn't look too convinced but gave a small nod, floating to sit up themselves, "Well...alright if you say so….it's just...I found out...where my cousin went…"

"Oh? Well that's great then isn't it? Did he write you a letter, or, come to visit, or…" Napstablook shook their head, "Then how'd you find out."

"I saw him...on TV, he's a big star now, doesn't need me at all I guess…." they said, starting to sniffle again.

Frisk frowned, "That's not….are you sure it was him?"

"I...guess, or, maybe….I'm sorry I don't know.." they admitted, looking down at the leaves as tears started to fall, burning through the leaves and Frisk had to be careful not to be burnt themself.

"Then don't be so down yet, maybe it's another monster and if it is your cousin then well, maybe he's still waiting for the right time to officially tell you what's going on, or about his new body." Frisk suggested, patting the air around Napstablook's back as they couldn't actually pat them. "Have you tried talking to this monster since seeing them on TV to see if it is him though?"

"No...I, don't really have the guts you know..to approach him…" they admitted and Frisk nodded.

"I understand, I wish I could do more to help though but heh, I'm still, still sorta stuck here in the Ruins. Don't get me wrong I love this place, but I've always wondered what the rest of the underground looked like I suppose."

"It's, nice I guess. Good monsters, bad monsters, just like anywhere else...I don't really talk often so it's not really from experience but from...observation." Napstablook said, "The monsters at Hotland though, they're very very loud most of the time so...I try to stay away from there. Those at Waterfall and Snowdin though, they're a bit quieter I guess...Snowdin's too cold so I tend to stay away from there too.."

Frisk nodded as they listened, the topic of other places in the Underground it seemed, was thankfully enough to help get Napstablook's mind away from his cousin for now, "Okay, so, then is Hotland too warm too? From its name I mean. Along with too loud?"  
"Yeah...very hot that I feel like...like I'm sorta starting to evaporate or something like that... it was scary last time so...I stay away from there. Waterfall...it's perfect for me, few monsters go through, it's not too hot, too cold, and the perfect spot for the family snail farm…"

"Snail farm? You never told me about the snail farm."

They gave a small laugh, "I, I umm, never did? Well, um, yeah it's just something that our family has had for years, we raise snails, race them, it's slow but a lot of fun and Waterfall's environment is great for them."

"I think mom would like it, she loves snails." Frisk laughed, "Remember how she showed you all her books the first time you came over?"

Napstablook gave a bit more of a louder laugh, "R-right, I remember that, maybe she would like it. I do, and I thought, he did too…." they said, starting to look down again.

"I'm sure he did but maybe something else was calling to him." Frisk quickly said, "But please Napstablook, don't cry. It'll be okay and if I could I'd head over to Waterfall or Hotland or wherever in the Underground he is and talk to him myself and I really really wish I could." they said.

"But I know you can't…." Napstablook sighed and at seeing Frisk's face quickly added, "It's not your fault though….I know it's dangerous for you so...please don't feel bad.."

"I just wish there was some other way I could help you you know." Frisk said.

Naptsablook was the one to try and give them a smile now, "Umm, you do, just by being my friend… but, for now..um..sorry but I don't think...I can really do much hanging out today...I'm sorry…"

"It's okay I understand." Frisk nodded. "I just, I hope you feel better."

"Thanks…" they said before slowly vanishing into nothing.

Frisk sighed, laying down in the leaves themself and beginning to making leaf angels as they tried to think of what to do. Ever since they'd met the little ghost, Napstablook had always had something to be sad about and Frisk would always do their best to get them out of it. This time though, this time Frisk could already tell things were going to be different this time around though.

Napstablook's cousin leaving them as he had had already left a very harsh mark on the little ghost who had already lost so much of their family and who was to shy to make friends on their own. Often Frisk's joking or stories or just hanging around would help but it clearly hadn't, Frisk needed a new battle plan and they needed one soon.

They laid down in the leaves a bit longer, Toriel wouldn't be expecting them for a few more hours but they were sure she wouldn't mind anyways. The trek back would still take a good hour and they could think of what they could do to try and help Napstablook during that time and hopefully have a solution once they got home.

Retracing their steps back through the Ruins, Frisk came to multiple ideas of how to cheer Napstablook up but the more they thought on each, the more they all felt they were just temporary bandaids. Napstablook needed to actually talk to their cousin if they were going to get over this and the way things were going, the ghost sure wouldn't be the one to initiate conversation.

It was at this point that another thought had begun to enter Frisk's mind of how to help them, Toriel would hate it, and Frisk didn't like it too much themself. Every idea they had, every conclusion they made, lead back to it though.

They reached the old tree that stood in front of their house, Toriel was busy watering the golden flowers outside of it, "Oh, hello my child, I did not expect to see you again so soon." she said, smiling. The smile faded to a look of concern however as she saw the look on Frisk's face, "Oh dear, is everything alright? What happened?"

"Napstablook's still feeling really really upset, it looks like their cousin left them for good after all to become a TV star or something along those lines. Napstablook isn't entirely sure and is too shy to check for themself and is just overall miserable right now.." Frisk explained, hugging Toriel.

"I am so sorry to hear that my child, but as I told you earlier, I'm afraid there is nothing you can do. Wherever their cousin is, it is far from our Ruins and leaving would be too dangerous."

Frisk held onto Toriel's warm grip, "I know but, wouldn't it be okay to leave, even for a bit if it was just to help him out, we could run back here as soon as everything was all sorted?"

Toriel shook her head, "No, I'm so sorry my child but we cannot, a monster could reveal your presence to Asgore and I do not wish to lose another child." she said, getting down to Frisk's level as she spoke so they could be eye to eye.

"Alright mom...I understand, I guess I'll just do what I can here right?" they said giving her a small smile.

"Right." Toriel said and Frisk couldn't help but notice the wave of relief that went over their mother, "Now, the pies I made should be well cooled by now if you would like a slice."

"I would. I really would thank you mom." they nodded as Toriel lead them inside.

* * *

Frisk layed down in the darkness of their bedroom, eyes closed, ears alert, and thoughts full as they tried to build up the courage for what they were about to do.

The Ruins had been their home for the past ten years and it always would be, it wasn't like they were planning on leaving forever or anything like that. No, they just needed to get out, find Naptsablook's cousin, and give him a piece of their mind.

Frisk knew this issue wouldn't go away on it's own, they couldn't quite explain it, but they knew and throughout the day, ever since they'd returned from talking to the ghost they'd been preparing. In little ways of course so as not to raise the suspicions of Toriel but preparing none the less.

Under their bed they had a bag filled with a few of the essentials including extra clothes, extra food, some of their saved up allowance, and a monster costume they'd worn for a play they and a few friends had put on a few years back that still miraculously fit them.

They were well aware monsters could see their soul regardless-Toriel had informed them theirs was a beautiful red in color- but they hoped that the monster costume would disorientate any enemy they faced long enough that they'd be able to make a bit of a getaway.

Lastly, they had the last slice of butterscotch cinnamon pie that Toriel had let them have. They'd chosen to save it for this reason specifically and now it rested in the green backpack for when it would eventually be needed.

Frisk sat in silence for what seemed like hours before they saw the lights of the hallway turn off and Toriel walk around and lay down in her own room. Frisk waited another few minutes before finally crawling out of bed, already in their clothes, and reaching for their backpack underneath the bed.

They stayed as quiet as possible, holding their breath as the bag got stuck and working it out with minimal scuffling. Once it was out and secured to well, their back, they pulled a hastily written but sincere note from their pocket. In short, it told Toriel where they were going and why and stressed again and again that they would be back and if she wanted she was free to follow them and they would leave markers where they could. Frisk's handwriting wasn't that great but given the freakout Toriel would likely have, it most likely didn't matter.

It hurt to leave the note on the bed regardless and Frisk did have second thoughts, whether it was really worth it or not but just seeing their friend as they were did not sit right with them. Frisk wanted to do something and if they got to see more of the underground then even better.

They opened the door to their room and very quietly, headed down the hall and down the stairs. The halls down here went on for a very very long time and Frisk feared they'd be caught before they even reached the exit but Toriel's hurried footsteps never came.

Then, there it was, a doorway leaving the ruins that for some reason or another was already opened by some force or some monster Frisk had evidently just missed.

Frisk looked at it, then back down the way they had come. "I promise I'll be back mom." they said, pushing the door the rest of the way open.


	3. Chapter 3

**Next chapter and I'm glad to hear from you guys really it means a lot! And sorry for being gone for two months yeesh, I promise I'll do better I just have a lot of stuff to study for I'm afraid and school overall is a bit rough right now, anyways, here you go! Another chapter and I wanted to let you know the story is planned to be about 20 chapters long.**

* * *

As opposed to walking into another section of the Underground as Frisk had expected, they were met with a bit of a dark corridor leading to a doorway which reminded them of the one that lead from Mt. Ebott's opening and into the ruins.

If they had to guess, they were made by the same monster as the doorway looked to be made of the same material and bore the same violet hue. Frisk wondered if each section in the Underground was split like this though for the life of them they couldn't imagine why this would be.

Something else that they found a bit odd was the single patch of grass that stood between them and the exit from the ruins. From the bits of light they could see from above, there had to be a bit of a hole in the underground that allowed for water and sunlight so that the spot could exist.

Other than the grass though, there was nothing else there to be noted and Frisk walked passed it and made their way to their doorway. Taking a deep breath as they crossed through it and its own set of doors.

They were caught off guard by the cold that met them on the other side of the doors that seemed to be forcefully closed from behind them. Frisk looked back for a moment but with how cold it was they didn't give themselves much time to think on it as they fished in their backpack for two more of their sweaters and quickly pulled them over their head.

The sweaters made one heck of a difference and Frisk felt their shivering start to slow down and their chattering teeth still. Now that they were warm and not shaking like a leaf, they picked their bag up and started walking as fast as they could past the pine trees that bordered the path way. Just because they were warm now didn't mean that they wanted to spend anymore time here than they had to after all and while they would have loved to admire the trees they'd seen only in Toriel's books or play in the snow that they so rarely got in the Ruins, they still had a mission in mind as well.

Their feet left deep in prints in the snow as they felt it chill their toes, another reason to speed up otherwise their shoes would be soaked in no time.

They passed a rather large stick that they didn't really pay much attention to other than to step over it so they could continue.

No sooner had they passed it did they hear a rather loud cracking noise. Frisk whirled around to see what could have caused it and while the sound had clearly been a result of the large stick being broken in two. They looked around the area but they couldn't even see footprints leading up to the stick other than their own.

They sped up, a bit nervous now and once they had turned their back to the stick they began to catch movement out of the corner of their eye.

Frisk soon reached a bridge with menacing looking bars that while they could easily slide through indicated someone clearly didn't want them to pass. Before they could check how sturdy the bridge was however, they saw the shadow approach closer and closer right behind them.

"hey human." The voice that could only belong to the shadow began, it took a moment to respond, they had not really thought of themselves as a human in years, "don't you know how to greet a new pal? turn around and shake my hand." The voice continued and ever so slowly, Frisk turned around.

Despite their being ample amounts of light, for now they still could make out very little about the figure other than they were currently extending their hand out. Frisk slowly reached theirs out as well and as the two shook hands there was the unmistakable sound of a whoopy cushion echoing through the air.

Frisk didn't initially know how to respond but as the surprise wore off and the figure's shadow vanished to reveal a grinning skeleton in a blue fur hoodie and slippers, well, they couldn't help but laugh, "I-I was scared for a second!" They admitted through their laughs. Of course the figure was a monster and every monster they'd met in the Ruins had been kind, it made sense others in the Underground wouldn't mean any harm.

The skeleton's grin seemed to grow even wider, "well, good to know you can take a joke, the whoopy cushion is a classic after all." He said, pulling it from his hand. "Anyways, the names sans, sans the skeleton." He introduced, looking over their shoulder, "here, let's get offa this bridge, don't worry you'll fit." He said, motioning for them to cross and while Frisk had had no doubts about being stuck by the bars they didn't bring it up.

They couldn't help but question its purpose as they crossed however, thankfully Sans answered before they'd even asked, "my brother papyrus put them up to keep humans from passing through, he's a real fan of trying to catch humans but i wouldn't worry. he's completely harmless."

"Well umm, alright." Frisk nodded and as they crossed onto the other side they could hear exciting footsteps plodding through the snow.

"oh,that must be him now, he'll get a kick outta meeting you but for now, go and hide behind that conveniently shaped lamp." Sans said, pointing to a lamp whose lampshade had an uncanny resemblance to their head.

Frisk nodded and quickly rushed behind the lamp, they would have jumped to the better hiding spot that was what looked to be a sentry post but when they heard the footsteps get louder, they figured they wouldn't make it in time. They couldn't understand why they needed to hide though, if Sans's brother was harmless why did he want them to hide?

They ducked behind the lamp completely and while they couldn't see Sans's brother, they certainly could hear him, "SANS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, IT HAS BEEN EXACTLY EIGHT DAYS SINCE LAST YOU RECALIBRATED YOUR PUZZLES. YOU JUST LOUNGE AROUND YOUR STATION ALL DAY! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING IN THAT TIME!?" His brother questioned, it wasn't that he was yelling at him, his voice just seemed to be loud regardless.

"oh, you know just _chilling_ around, staring at this lamp and all that. you should check it out." Sans answered, Frisk wondered why he was trying to give their position away when he was the one who told them to hide.

Clearly he had a reason as his brother quickly disregarded the hint, "OH BROTHER I DON'T HAVE TIME! WHAT IF A HUMAN PASSES THROUGH! I MUST BE READY FOR IT IS I WHO WILL BE THE ONE TO CAPTURE A HUMAN! IT IS MY DESTINY!" He said, and Frisk poked their head out to get a glimpse of him, watching a skeleton taller than Sans with a long cape proudly posing as he threw it behind him dramatically, "AND WHEN I DO, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL RECEIVE ALL I DESERVE, RESPECT! RECOGNITION! I WILL JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD AND EVERYONE WILL WISH TO BE MY FRIEND!" He smiled and Frisk felt themself smile as well, even if his goal involved themself getting caught, it was a pretty nice dream they supposed.

"well, maybe that lamp there could give you a hand." Sans shrugged but again Papyrus didn't take his advice seriously, instead stomping his feet against the snowy ground in frustration.

"SANS! YOU ARE NOT HELPING! ALL YOU DO SIT DOWN AND BOONDOGGLE! YOU'RE GETTING LAZIER AND LAZIER EVERYDAY!"

"hey, i got work done to day, a ton of work. A skele-ton." Sans answered and Frisk covered their mouth to keep from giggling. They could have sworn they could hear the sound of a rimshot in the distance as Sans winked comically at his 'audience.'

"SANS!" Papyrus whined.

"oh come on bro you're smiling."

"I AM AND I HATE IT." he said, before actually saying the word, "SIGH. WHY MUST SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME...HAVE TO DO SO MUCH TO GET ANY RECOGNITION?"

"sounds like you're working yourself down to the bone huh?" Sans laughed, Frisk could definitely hear the rimshot now as Sans did a comedic pose to his 'audience'.

Frisk was amazed that Papyrus couldn't hear their giggles.

"UGH!" Papyrus groaned in annoyance but quickly recovered from it. "FOR NOW BROTHER I SHALL ATTEND TO MY PUZZLE….BUT PLEASE, FOR YOUR WORK TRY TO PUT A LITTLE MORE ' _BACKBONE'_ INTO IT! NYEHEHEHEHHEHHE!" He laughed as he ran off, briefly returning to finish with one last "NYEH!"

"okay you're good to come out." Sans said as he turned to Frisk who was now rolling around the snow laughing their head off, they'd held it in during the whole exchange and just couldn't do it anymore, "well i'm glad you appreciate my puns." He chuckled.

"How- how could I not!" They gasped, still struggling to breath through their laughs, "They were perfect how could anyone dislike them?"

"you'd be surprised." He said with a shrug, "some people just don't have a ' _funny bone'_ i guess."

Frisk broke into another fit of giggles and laughs, "You'd get along great with my mom, she's always writing down her own puns, never really gets to share them though, she also loves knock knock jokes, she likes humor in general come to think of it."

There was a moment where Frisk thought they saw a flicker of recognition in the skeleton's sockets but it was quickly gone, "well, maybe some day i'll get to meet her, for now though you outta get a move on, my bro might come back and if he does you'll have to deal with my rockin' puns again."

"Oh I don't think I'd mind too much." Frisk grinned, "Though, I do have somewhere I need to get to and someone I need to see so I still need to get going anyways." They pushed themself up from the snow and dusted the white puffs off, their outfit was just about soaking now, "That and I don't want to freeze to death, I need to dry up someplace."

"snowdins not too far off, there's a nice inn there so just follow the path and you'll be a-okay."

They were already heading off towards the path that Papyrus had left through, "Thanks a bunch Sans." they smiled.

"No prob bob though one more thing, my bro, he's been sorta in the dumps lately. oo could you maybe do me a favour, he's never seen a human before and seeing you would definitely make his day. don't worry, for all his talk he isn't as dangerous as he tries to be so just maybe 'humor' him for me please? thanks a million kiddo, i'll catch up with you later." He said before walking in a completely opposite direction before Frisk could even answer.

Frisk of course was happy to do so, they just wondered what exactly 'humoring' him would entail as getting captured by the skeleton might make their trip take a little more time than they wanted. But still, Papyrus had seemed so passionate about his dream and despite their differences, Sans clearly cared for his bro.

They walked along, who knows, maybe it would be fun? It would also give them a chance to make good friends of the monsters outside of the Ruins while they were out here so even better. Maybe Napstablook knew the skeletons too, wouldn't that be great?

As they walked, they caught sight of something not too far off, glowing rather brightly. They looked at it curiously for a moment. It looked incredibly familiar and they quickly remembered why.

Sure, they'd never known what they were called, and Toriel and the other monsters claimed that they weren't there in the first place. Frisk had always seen them though, even when they were little and while they didn't know what the little light's purpose was, they certainly knew how they felt. Reaching out, Frisk touched the light and could feel their energy build up inside them. They were filled with something and if it did have a proper name, they didn't know it, but to them, it felt like a new boosted sense of Determination to get their task done.

It felt great and soon they broke off into a sprint, following the trail and passing the dimensional box. They knew how those worked, Toriel kept one in her own room and as did a few other monsters, they were excellent storing compartments and if you had a set a family could easily transfer items despite being separated. Since this was a Dimensional Box A they figured its other half was somewhere near maybe but presently, their backpack held everything they needed stored.

Following another path, they reached an icy river and a fishing pole, they expected a fish when they reeled it in and instead got a phone number and a note that read "Call Me! Here's My Number!" they decided not to call.


End file.
